Review : Since You’ve Been Gone by Megan Matson

Posted by on June 2, 2015 12:31 am in 3.5 stars reads | 8 comments

since youve been goneSince You’ve Been Gone by Megan Matson
Pages : 449
Genre : YA, Contemporary
Stand alone
My Rating : 3.5/5

About the Book  :

It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.

On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?

Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a stranger? Um…

Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane’s list. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go skinny-dipping? Wait…what?

My Thoughts :

I had heard a lot of good things about Morgan Matson’s previous books, Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour and Second Chance Summer, but until now I hadn’t had the opportunity to read anything of hers. What I found in Since You’ve Been Gone was a cute, summery YA novel about friendship, written in a voice easy to relate to.

First, let’s talk about the list, which is at the center of it all. As far as plot devices go, this one is a fun one. The list Sloane left behind mixes the easy with the more difficult, and leads Emily to experience lots of new “firsts”. Most tasks are pretty tame, and there’s often little more at risk than a bit of embarassement, which makes the book quite a light and fun read. Every item on the list also gives us a glimpse of Emily and Sloane’s friendship through flashbacks, which made it easier to relate to Emily’s loss.

The best surprise this book offered to me was its focus on friendship rather than romance. I was afraid the list was only going to be a pretext for Emily to meet a guy and fall in love; but while there’s a bit of romance in there, it’s a not a gooey, love-at-first-sight kind of story. It’s a friendship-becomes-more, and it spans over the entire story in a very organic way. And on top of that, Emily also makes new friends. By the end of the book, she feels less isolated as a character, and more grown up.

Part of me felt a little “old” and bored by some of the easier tasks though, and I also felt like some of them could have been cut from the story with little consequences. Seriously, the book is 450 pages: that’s a lot for a YA contemporary, and I didn’t feel like enough happened to justify the length.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Certainly enough to read more from the author. Her characters were well fleshed out and the definitely left me longing for the hot days of summer. Luckily, summer isn’t too far away now!

8 Comments

  1. This sounds like a fun summer read.

    • It really was! I wish I would have gotten to it last summer, it would have been perfect then 🙂

  2. I read Second Chance Summer a few years back and it was a real weeper. This sounds like a fun summer read to check out!

    • I have Second Chance Summer on my shelf and it’s probably the next book of hers I’ll read. It sounds like it has a very different vibe though, so I’ll make sure to keep it for when I don’t need to be cheered up!

  3. I really like that this author focuses so much on friendships, like you mention. All her books are perfect summer reads, though Amy & Roger is my fave. And yeah this is a long one!

    • Yes, friendship is definitely a big plus for me! I can’t wait to read more from her, I love summer books. I heard a lot of great things about Amy & Roger so it’s for sure on my list!

  4. I liked that this book focused on friendship too, but other than that, it was less than lukewarm for me. There is a lot more that could have been done here, although the outgoing friend who is besties with the introvert has been quite overplayed. Great review.

    • I very much agree with you on this. I wish we could see more friendships where the characters are distinct individuals without going straighth to this stereotype. Or for once, maybe I’d like to read about the outgoing friend, too! I feel they are often neglected by authors, unfortunately.

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